Arctic environments Ice sheet, mountain ranges, ice-fee lowlands [mehr]		Evolution of the Islands 4 billion years of geological history [mehr]		Icebergs and Sea Ice Ice in the waters around the arctic islands [mehr]
Permafrost Landforms on permafrost [mehr]		Wildlife A diverse range of specially adapted animals [mehr]		Flowering plants A beautiful and delicate flora [mehr]
The islands of the Arctic are one of Earth´s last wilderness regions, with beautiful mountains and glaciers, in which plants and animals live in delicate balance with their environment. The region also has had a long history of exploration and exploitation, and now is experiencing rapid and potentially damaging environmental change. Melting glaciers, reductions in sea ice cover, increased pollution will not only affect Arctic ecosystems, but the lives of everyone on planet Earth. The emphasis of this section of Glaciers online is on the western Arctic, notably Svalbard, Greenland and Axel Heiberg Island.